Restrictions have eased for the first time this year, with people now able to travel between counties and have visitors in their gardens.
Personal services have reopened, while non-essential retail can offer click and collect or shopping by appointment.
An Ennis-based retail lobby group believes today’s measures give staff an opportunity to prepare for the wide re-opening later this month.
Only appointment shopping, and click-and-collect, are permitted from until next week but Duncan Graham from Retail Excellence expects this to be the beginning of a busy period for retailers:
An Ennis salon owner says she believes that the hairdressing industry has endured its final closure of the pandemic.
Hairdressers, barbers and other personal services across Clare have reopened their doors this morning for the first time this year.
Businesses in the hair and beauty sector were forced to close on Christmas Eve, along with restaurants and pubs that serve food.
Eilish Moloney, Owner of Foxy Hair Salon in Ennis says she believes the 5 month closure should be the last that her sector will have to endure.
Clare’s Sinn Fein TD is calling for uniformity across all maternity hospitals with regard to the easing of restrictions.
The HSE has advised hospitals to allow partners to visit their children in the neo national ICU, to attend the 20 week scans and be present during labour, but it’s at the discretion of the facilities to decide when to lift restrictions.
In the Midwest, nominated partners are being given 45 minute visiting slots in the postnatal wards at University Maternity Hospital Limerick, every day from today between 6pm and 8pm.
But Deputy Violet Anne Wynne says having the partner present for all appointments is of huge importance.
